


Codependency

by radiowrittenheart



Category: Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
Genre: (Slightly), Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fluff, High School, Oneshot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6958159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiowrittenheart/pseuds/radiowrittenheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They have each other and the whole world ahead of them ... well, actually, it's just high school graduation. But close enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Codependency

He was sitting on her bed, lounged back and smothered in between a comforter and _way_ too many pillows. She sat slumped over at the desk, doodling on a final assignment that technically wasn’t overdue … yet.

Yet. What a short word with such heavy meaning.

“Please tell me you know the value of x,” Sashi groaned, grabbing a fistful of her hair and twirling it.

“It’s the twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet, if that helps,” Penn spoke up. “It also stands for the number ten in Roman numerals.” He laughed out loud at the sound of a loud groan. “I’m going to guess that’s not what you wanted,”

Sashi slammed her head onto the desk. “It’s the last problem,” she grumbled. “Help me,”

Penn held back laughter. “Sash, isn’t that extra credit?”

“I’m trying to graduate with high marks, Penn,” she argued. “Unlike Mr. ‘I Limped Through English’ — seriously, how did you mess up _that bad_?”

“I blame poetry,” Penn declared. “Devious words, trying to trick you into thinking something else.”

Sashi mumbled out a ‘ _whatever_ ’ and went back to her work, trying to avoid the very obvious distraction in her bedroom. _x^2 + 836 - 5 = 74x; find the area of triangle KTS_. She knew the answer, it was staring her right in the face. But then again, right behind her was something far, far better than last-minute extra credit math homework.

She pushed herself away from the desk, letting her brain rest for a few instants. Rubbing her eyes under her specs, she found herself staring at the ceiling — and her eyes unwillingly wandering over to Penn.

“What are you doing?” Sashi spoke up; her voice a strange mix of deadpan and amused. She couldn’t help but watch him burrow under all of the pillows and blankets.

“Getting comfortable,” Penn said plainly.

“I can see that,” Sashi replied, her tone getting a little more lighthearted.

She giggled a little at how silly he was being, cocooning himself onto her bed and staring at her with the dumbest, stupidest, cutest smile ever. Some things never changed. While other things, however...

“Do you have any plans?” Penn asked, hugging one of the pillows close to his body. “For after graduation?”

Sashi paused, skidding across the floor in her swivel chair. It’s not like she should have been taken by surprise with the question. “I have a general idea of things,” she mumbled, shoving one of her desk drawers shut. Brochures, pamphlets, invitations from all sorts of open houses and sign-ups. “I don’t know what I want to do,”

She knew Penn wasn’t judging her. He was studying her, pondering about ideas he could shoot her way.

“Don’t bother trying to help me, Penn,” she sighed. “I still won’t be able to choose,”

“Well, what are your choices?” he piped up.

This was bound to be talked about. It was a topic they had poked and prodded at before, but never did they go that deep into it. Sashi remained quiet, leaning back and folding her hands behind her head. Her lips stiffened, and her gaze became downcast. However, she did notice Penn getting up off her bed, leaning up against the desk.

He murmured a soft “ _hey_ ”, smile evident in his voice.

It was his hook and she took the bait.

“I can’t go to college. I don’t have the money for it,” she admitted. “Whatever scholarship money I got was put into savings. My parents want me to go into the military,” And Penn never thought he’d see such crippling fear cross Sashi’s face. “But that’s just … not for me. I’m tough, but not like that.”

She rattled off a few more things; trade school, be an average person and just work because ‘ _nothing shameful about that_ ’ or, of course, full-time sidekick.

Penn shrugged. “They all seem like good choices to me,” he said coolly.

But of course this was easy for him. He had his heart set on one thing - and that was full-time heroing. Why would he ever consider anything else? It was the role he was born to play, and he executed it perfectly. Quitting his passion in life wasn’t an option.

For Sashi, on the other hand…

“Yeah,” she muttered, kicking her legs up and using his lap as a footrest.

This got a smirk out of Penn, and he chuckled. “I can’t tell if that’s a weird way of you showing affection or you want me to go away,” he playfully jousted.

The tension melted. Sashi rolled her eyes, letting her feet drop. “C’mere,” she murmured, crooking a finger.

Penn didn’t even hesitate as he sat in her lap, the both of them tittering out laughter as her chair creaked a little. Sashi hummed, idly playing with his hair and brushing a kiss or two along the elusive freckles on his neck. She took his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers — letting their cumbersome class rings clink against each other.

 _Class of 2018._ His gem was red, hers was purple. _Middleburg Central High School._ He chose a gold band, she had silver. _Zero. Kobayashi._ The inevitable question crossed Penn’s mind, and apparently, the kiss on Sashi’s hairline was his way of asking it.

“There’s always going to be an us, Penn,” she whispered. “I’ll make time for the sidekick gig.”

“You don’t have to,” he assured.

“I want to,” Sashi said confidently. “I never want to stop doing what I love … but at the same time,” She trailed off. “I want to keep protecting people, Penn. But being a sidekick all of the time is getting a little too much for me,”

Her brown eyes flickered up, desperately hoping Penn wouldn’t be upset with her. She blushed a little at his broad smile — why was she ever worried? The chair leaned back a little, and Sashi squeaked with it when Penn pulled in for a kiss. Her hands flew up to his hair to hold for security, carelessly tangling the insane curls.

“Sash,” Penn said, laughing her name more than saying it. “I don’t care if you quit. As long you’re there for me.”

“Well,” Sashi chuckled. “I’m kinda stuck with you.”

Penn shrugged, as if to say ‘ _what can you do?_ ’ but kept his charming, somewhat cheeky grin. “As if there’s anyone else you’d rather be stuck with?” he retorted.

“That’s true,” she mused, lazily fingering the hem of his flannel shirt and looking up at him, almost sweetly.

It was almost a stupidly picture perfect moment. Penn draped across her, Sashi holding onto him, their gazes stuck on each other with a very, very vast future ahead of them. A future that seemed bigger than it was. What were they going to do? Who knew? But they would always have each other; a hero and a sidekick could never walk alone. Whether it be literally or metaphorically.

Stealing one last kiss from her, Penn smiled. “See you tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “At graduation,”

He said the word with a little bit of a silly tone to his voice, as if it was supposed to be spooky. Sashi laughed in response, letting him go — but not before she pulled him in for one last quick kiss.

“Penn?”

“Mmhmm?” He almost trilled it, that little—

“Love you,”

Her eyes were closed as she kept their foreheads pressed together, just to hold on for a little longer, but he heard the smirk in his voice.

“Love you too.”

Penn let go gently, leaving her bedroom and Sashi didn’t let her breath escape until he knew he was out of her apartment. Her gaze went back to the forgotten math homework, and she groaned, sticking her pencil behind her ear as she mulled over the problem again.

But she still couldn’t concentrate. Sashi found herself staring at the drawer she had closed, and she crept it open just a little, taking out a handful of papers. Mostly things her parents and the school had ordered, far and few were actually things she had been interested in.

A college brochure with screaming headlines, that promised mediocre things such as ‘bug-free dorms!’ and ‘edible lunches’ definitely wouldn’t do.

The National Guard signup sheet which caused her to shiver.

The pamphlet of consent renewal forms for another year of being a sidekick.

Sashi knew that some of the best years of her life involved punching and kicking things, saving worlds, getting the glory — the guy was just a perk of it all. And that guy, she wouldn’t trade for the world…

Another silly, somewhat smitten sigh slipped past her lips.

Nonetheless, she set the papers aside and noticed a blue postcard-like paper was hidden in between. ‘ _Middleburg Police Force wants YOU!_ ’ was in bold, eye-catching font. Sashi instantly dismissed it, placing the piece of paper with the rest.

But as she went back to her homework, the choices of her future made her head spin. She eventually ended up retreating to her ruined bed, laying in the mess Penn had left behind.

And after a few moments of staring up at the ceiling, she came to terms with … everything. Herself. Her life. Her future.

Sashi grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table, shooting out a text to Penn. _‘i'_ _ve made my choice_ ’

He replied instantly. **_‘!!!! what???’_ **

She wished he could see her little half-smirk half-smile.

_‘wait & see’ _

**_‘ur no fair :((((‘_ **

_‘ <3’ _

**_‘ <3’_ **

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of my friends are graduating this year and I realized I had been meaning to write a fic like this for these dorks. That's why this happened.
> 
> If you liked this thing, comments are greatly appreciated! :)


End file.
